Dantz / ‘SuperMac’ TapeFit software WITH DataStream Tape Driver - where to find?

[jonhales]

I am attempting to restore files from several DC2000 tape cartridges that were backups of a Mac system in use in the late 1980s. The owner of the tapes recalls that they were written using TapeFit software, possibly over a network.

The owner of the tapes has loaned a Mac Plus (OS 6.0.3) with an external hard drive on which DiskFit and TapeFit (version 1.3df) are installed. There is also an 800k (bootable) floppy containing DiskFit.

I have installed a Georgens/3M SCSI tape drive that was the type of drive used in the contemporary Apple Tape 40SC external backup system. Using Apple Tape Backup software on a bootable disk, the tape drive is recognised by the system and has been tested for formatting, backup and restore using a 3M 2120 cartridge. However, this arrangement finds no files to restore on the DC2000 tapes written with TapeFit.

When TapeFit software is run from the hard drive, it responds “DataStream Tape Driver must be present for backups. Contact SuperMac for other TapeFit versions”.

The tape drive is not identified as a device by either TapeFit or DiskFit when run from the hard drive.

There appears to be no reference to this software on the VCF Forum and no version of TapeFit available for download on a repository of Mac software. Can anyone advise where a complete install disk for TapeFit might be located and/or advise how the DataStream tape driver may be added to an existing install of TapeFit?

Note: The tape backup software identifies itself as ‘TapeFit for DataStream version 1.3df by Robert C. Zulch'. The software may have been issued with an external tape drive. The copyright (1987) display names ‘Dantz Software Development’. The same company also issued Retrospect software as a backup solution for later versions of Mac OS and hardware.

Note2: The DC2000 tapes required new drive bands, but were otherwise in excellent condition. Each time a tape is placed in the 3M tape drive, the tape is run to the end and back to the start, stopping correctly. The drive has a lever to remove the cartridge. The read/write head is also in excellent condition and was cleaned before installing the cartridge.

All advice appreciated.

 

[Chuck(G)]

What I'd do...

Boot linux, install the scsitape package and image the tapes using dd or the like. At least then you'll have something to work with.

 

[SuperSVGA]

It's possible the TapeDriver from DiskFit 2.0 might help, though I haven't found it online anywhere. Maybe you can find it hidden in a system folder or something there.

Edit: I spoke too soon, "Network_DiskFit_1.5.1.sit_.hqx" appears to have the driver.

 

[jonhales]

Replying to SuperSVGA

Many thanks for your suggestion. Here's a screenshot of the (single) file contained in the Network_DiskFit_1.5.1.sit package, named Net.DF.Help.

My suspicion is that this would only function in the presence of a network. Is there more information you can provide?

 

[SuperSVGA]

Replying to SuperSVGA

Many thanks for your suggestion. Here's a screenshot of the (single) file contained in the Network_DiskFit_1.5.1.sit package, named Net.DF.Help.

My suspicion is that this would only function in the presence of a network. Is there more information you can provide?

I think there may be something wrong with your copy or your stuffit. Here's what the one I found looks like:

 

[jonhales]

Thanks for the prompt reply. I was about to attach the screenshot, but you got there first.

Your screenshot is very helpful. I'll seek a solution.

 

[jonhales]

Short report:

The tape driver file indicated by SuperSVGA was the solution. Two of the tapes were read successfully, both yielding around 700 files amounting to a little under 20 Mb on each. The third, not expected to contain the owner’s personal data, threw an address error at a certain point requiring a reboot. After a couple of retries had the same result, no further effort to read it was made. However, a full set of folders (mostly empty) was written to the hard drive which confirmed the belief that the files were not those sought.

Longer report:

The suspicion that the available version of stuffit was a problem was confirmed. A different version of stuffit on someone else’s Mac laptop was able to produce the set of files in SuperSVGA’s screenshot. This was demonstrated by connecting the “tape owner’s” hard drive temporarily as an external drive on the laptop.

With the tape driver copied to the hard drive, when the latter was re-connected to the Mac Plus and the Georgens/3M tape device, the tape operated as a block device, effectively as a slow-access hard drive. The tape’s name was presented on the desktop. Dragging this icon to the hard drive initiated the copying of the tape’s contents. A count of files/folders was displayed and counted down. Around an hour later, copying was complete with a new folder on the hard drive. Within that, folders and files were listed with their dates of creation.

The 3M tape drive was considered slow in the late 1980s, but this was no problem for recovery some 25 years later. The tapes remained in excellent condition at the end of recovery.

One of the recovered tapes contained a ‘Datastream’ folder – which was inaccessible until the appropriate driver file had been installed from a different source.

Final note: The inability of the Apple Tape package to locate files on the tape was NOT a sign that the tape had become corrupted. The data identifying the contents of the tape could only be read with the driver matching the one in use when the tape was written.

 

[Al Kossow]

One of the recovered tapes contained a ‘Datastream’ folder – which was inaccessible until the appropriate driver file had been installed from a different source.

Final note: The inability of the Apple Tape package to locate files on the tape was NOT a sign that the tape had become corrupted. The data identifying the contents of the tape could only be read with the driver matching the one in use when the tape was written.

archiving all of these tape backup related files would be a good thing to save someone else all of the pain you went through